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Unread 07-16-2001, 09:47 AM   #2
ck42
Cooling Savant
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 154
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In short, the answer is No. You don't HAVE to have a Peltier.

Peltiers, or TECs as I prefer to call them, are active cooling devices. They are typically 12Volt devices powered from your computer PSU or a dedicated PSU.

The TEC is able to make one side of itself very cold but also generates heat on its opposite side. The hot side needs to be cooled off. So, in a water cooled system, you really aren't cooling the cpu with the water block anymore but rather the hot side of the TEC. The cooler you can keep the hot side, then the colder the cold side can get. It's this 'cold side' that actually cools your cpu now.

For first timers tho, adding a TEC adds a whole new level of complexity.

Also, just about everyone seems to think that you would need at a minimum a 172W TEC for a Tbird (vs a Duron). The 172W TEC is a 24V model and subsequently requires a 24V PSU...so, you'd have to buy one and find a place to put it. Of course, you could also go with two parallel 80W or 120W TECs or something like that.

Here's a great FAQ for many other questions: http://www.tellurex.com/resource/txfaq.htm

Otherwise, I'd suggest going to the procooling.com chat room for real time answers since there is SO much more to this than I have mentioned. Many people in the chat room have personal experiences with TECs also.
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